Snow removal system capable of melting snow

ABSTRACT

A portable electric snow/ice melter has adjustable legs whereby it can be easily used to melt snow and/or ice of varying depths.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention present relates in general to snow melting devices. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a portable snow meltingdevice which may be applied to the surface of snow to warm the snow andinitiate melting thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A snowfall may be exciting for children—who look forward to fun in thesnow, but can be aggravating to adults—who anticipate hours ofback-breaking snow removal work. Many individuals are injured each yearfrom slipping on snow covered or icy pathways. Although shoveling canremove the snow from the pathway, it requires a large amount of workwhich many infirm individuals are unable to perform.

Snow removal on sidewalks, walkways, driveways, and patios istraditionally carried out with a shovel. The problems with using ashovel are many. First, a lot of labor is involved with repeatedlyundermining the shovel beneath a pile of snow, and then physicallylifting the snow away from the sidewalk. Second, the shovel cannotalways remove all of the snow. On textured sidewalks and brick orcobblestone driveways, it is not possible to scrape off all snow. Third,on such textured sidewalks and driveways, it is extremely difficult tocarry out shoveling at all, since the shovel continually snags upon abrick, stone, or the like. The shovel can even chip bricks and stones,creating a weathered appearance after the winter. A similar problemexists with shoveling snow from uneven or broken sidewalks anddriveways.

The removal of snow is generally accomplished by motorized scoops or byshoveling. There are often small snow falls which are not adequately orconveniently dealt with by cumbersome apparatus, and the use of snowshovels becomes heavy work. The snow blower has been around for decades,and provides a less labor intensive snow removal solution for somepeople. However, the snow blowers typically employ two stroke engines,which are often difficult to start, and require long term storage ofgasoline and oil. Further, they are loud and produce the odor ofgasoline exhaust as they operate. Thus they are unsuitable for use intight alleys and near buildings where the fumes could harm people livingtherein. Furthermore, many of these devices have a large number ofmoving parts. Such devices are therefore subject to malfunctioning andmay require a great deal of upkeep and repair. This will make suchdevices undesirable for many people.

The inventor is aware of several have snow melting mats have beenproposed for melting snow. However, these devices are only suited forinstallation upon a walkway or other such area prior to a snowfall, sothat they can then be activated following the snowfall to cause the snowto melt. However, none of these devices are suited for portable usewherein the device is brought to a location after a snowfall where snowmelting is desired, to effect snow melting at that location.

While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed,or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes ofremoving snow or ice from an area such as a patio, walkway or the like.The inventor is also aware of devices such as heated snow shovels.However, heated snow shovels may be inadequate to remove large amountsof snow and may not be adequate at all for removing ice. Ice removalusing a shovel, even a heated shovel, will be difficult work, timeconsuming and may still damage the surface if the shovel is used to chipthe ice. Accordingly, even heated snow shovels have many disadvantages.

Since snow falls may create various depths of snow, any device used toremove snow must be adaptable for various snow depths. While shovelswill be adaptable, shovels will still have the above-discussed problems.Therefore, there is a need for a device for melting snow or ice which iseasy to use and which is adaptable for a wide variety of snow falldepths.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-discussed disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by anelectrically operated snow/ice melter that operates from standard houseutility power. The snow/ice melter has adjustable legs whereby differentdepths of snow and/or ice can be melted.

Using the snow/ice melter embodying the present invention will permit auser to quickly and easily melt snow and/or ice of nearly any depth. Themelter is easy to move and position so even those of limited dexterityor strength can efficiently operate the melter embodying the presentinvention.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention willbe, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe invention, and be protected by the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereferenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snow/ice melter embodying the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the snow/ice melter shown in FIG.1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the figures, it can be understood that the presentinvention is embodied in a snow/ice melter 10 which overcomes theproblems discussed above in relation to existing snow clearing devices.Melter 10 comprises a housing 12 which has a first surface 14 that is atop surface when the housing is in a use condition such as shown in FIG.1, a second surface 16 that is a bottom surface when the housing is inuse and a thickness dimension 18 which extends between the first surfaceand the second surface. A first end 20 is a forward end when the housingis in use and a second end 22 is a rear end when the housing is in use.A top element 24 is removably mounted on the housing and an interiorchamber 26 is defined in the housing.

A heating unit 30 is located on the housing and functions to melt snowor ice located beneath the housing when activated. The heating unitincludes an electrical heater 32, such as an electrical resistance wireor the like, located on the bottom surface of the housing.

A power transformer 34 as shown in dotted lines is located in interiorchamber 26 and is electrically connected to the electrical heater.Transformer 34 is of the type well known to those skilled in the art andthe exact details of the transformer are not important to the presentinvention and will not be claimed. As such, the details of thetransformer will not be discussed. A power cord 36 is electricallyconnected to power transformer 34 and is adapted, as by including anappropriate plug 38 on one end thereof, to be electrically connected toa utility power source, such as via an electrical outlet in a home.

A handle 40 has one end 42 connected to the housing and has a hand gripelement 44 on a second end 46 thereof. Handle 40 is movable in themanner of any well known handle unit so melter 10 can be pushed usinghandle 40. A heating unit control system 50 is located on one end of thehousing and includes an on/off switch 52 located on the first end of thehousing. Switch 52 is electrically connected to the heating unit. Apower level adjustment switch 56 is located on the first end of thehousing and is electrically connected to the heating unit. A plug socket58 is also located on the end of the housing and is electricallyconnected to the power transformer so power from a utility source can betransferred to the transformer when the cord 36 is electricallyconnected to a power outlet and to socket 58. A power cord attachmentunit 60 is located on the first end of the housing and is electricallyconnected to the heating unit.

Four adjustable legs, such as legs 70 and 72, are mounted on thehousing. The legs are identical and each leg includes a first portion 74which is fixed to the housing, a second portion 76 that is telescopinglyconnected to the first portion to move in the direction of thicknessdimension 18 of the housing for adjusting the height of the housingabove a ground level to accommodate various snow and/or ice thicknesses.A plurality of set pin holes, such as set pin hole 78, are definedthrough the first portion and through the second portion, and a set pin,such as set pin 82, fits through the set pin holes to couple the secondportion to the first portion in the selected position. Wheels, such aswheels 84 and 86, are rotatably mounted on the second portion of two ofthe adjustable legs. A power cord holder 90 is mounted on the first endof the housing to store a power cord when the melter is being stored.

Use of melter 10 can be understood from the teaching of the presentdisclosure and thus will not be discussed in detail. The melter is movedto be located above a patch of ice or snow to be melted. The power cordis connected to the unit and to a power source, the legs are adjusted sothe heating unit is located in a desired position, and the unit isactivated. The unit is moved as necessary to melt the ice or snow, andcan be left on at any desired location to evaporate any water that mayremain after the melting step is completed.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of thisinvention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except inlight of the attached claims and their equivalents.

1. A snow/ice melter comprising: A) a housing having (1) a first surfacethat is a top surface when the housing is in use, (2) a second surfacethat is a bottom surface when the housing is in use, (3) a thicknessdimension which extends between the first surface and the secondsurface, (4) a first end which is a forward end when the housing is inuse, (5) a second end which is a rear end when the housing is in use,(6) a top element removably mounted on the housing, and (7) an interiorchamber defined in the housing; B) a heating unit on the housing, theheating unit including (1) an electrical heater located on the bottomsurface of the housing, (2) a power transformer located in the interiorchamber and electrically connected to the electrical heater, and (3) apower cord electrically connected to the power transformer and adaptedto be electrically connected to a utility power source; C) a handlehaving one end connected to the housing and having a hand grip elementon a second end; D) a heating unit control system which includes (1) anon/off switch located on the first end of the housing and electricallyconnected to the heating unit, (2) a power level adjustment switchlocated on the first end of the housing and which is electricallyconnected to the heating unit, and (3) a power cord attachment unit onthe first end of the housing and which is electrically connected to theheating unit; E) four adjustable legs mounted on the housing, each legincluding (1) a first portion fixed to the housing, (2) a second portionthat is telescopingly connected to the first portion, (3) set pin holesdefined through the first portion and through the second portion, and(4) a set pin which fits through the set pin holes to couple the secondportion to the first portion; F) two wheels rotatably mounted on thesecond portion of two of the adjustable legs, respectively; and G) apower cord holder mounted on the first end of the housing.
 2. A snow/icemelter comprising: A) a housing, the housing having a bottom surface, aforward end, and a rear end; B) an electrical heater located on thebottom surface of the housing, C) a handle having one end connected tothe rear end of the housing and having a hand grip element on a secondend; E) four adjustable legs mounted on the forward and rear ends of thehousing, each leg including (1) a first portion fixed to the housing,(2) a second portion that is telescopingly connected to the firstportion, (3) set pin holes defined through the first portion and throughthe second portion, and (4) a set pin which fits through the set pinholes to couple the second portion to the first portion; and F) twowheels rotatably mounted on the second portion of two of the fouradjustable legs on the forward end of the housing, and no wheels on thetwo of the four adjustable legs on the rear end of the housing.